OLYMPIA – Six public meetings will be held throughout the state in August to gather comment on a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) recently issued for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's (WDFW) proposed six-year game management plan.

The plan is being developed to define management direction for the state's game species including deer, elk, migratory and upland birds, cougar, moose, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, black bear, furbearing animals and unclassified game animals. The 2003 to 2009 plan calls for managing game populations for sustainable harvest and a variety of recreational, educational and aesthetic purposes while ensuring healthy and productive populations.